Disclaimer
This report was compiled by an ADRC visiting researcher (VR) from ADRC
member countries.
The views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of
the ADRC. The boundaries and names shown and the designations usedon the maps in the report also do not imply official endorsement or
acceptance by the ADRC.

GENERALINFORMATION

LOCATIONAZERBAIJAN extends between longitude 44° and 52°
east and latitude 38° and 42° north
AZERBAIJAN
J borders with
IRAN 765 km and Turkey 15 km on the south,
RUSSIA 390 km on the north,,
GEORGIA 480 km on the north‐west and
ARMENIA 1007 km on the west.
¥

There is approximately 800 km of coastline
pshore in the east.
alongg the Caspian

POPULATION
To January 15,
15, 2010
2010,, population of the Republic ofAzerbaijan was estimated at 9 million.
million.
About 54
54,,1 percent of population live in towns, while
45,
45,9% in villages
villages.. Men constitute 49
49%% of population, while
women 51%
51%. MaleMale––female ratio is 1000 to 1039.
1039.

TERRITORY
86,
86,6 thousand square km (forests 1212%%, water basins
1.7%, sown area 54
54,,9%, including 31
31..1 % pastures andhayfields, 31.
31.4% other lands)
lands)..

BAKU
the cityy off winds..
BAKU is the capital of the Republic ofAzerbaijan It is a large scientific,
Azerbaijan.
scientific culturaland industrial center.
BAKU was first mentioned in the Book oftheh DeadD d byb theh EgyptianE
Ph
Pharaohh
Minesan in 3,500 BC.
BAKU is situated on the shore of the
Caspian Sea in the south of the Absheron
peninsula. It covers an area of 2,200
square km and has a population of 2
million.
BAKU has 11 administrative districts and5 settlements.
BAKU situated at the parallel of 40°.

SILK ROAD

Azerbaijan at Crossroads

NATIONAL LANGUAGE
Azerbaijani language is the state official language of Azerbaijan and the mean of linguistic
communication of the 9 million population of the country .
jis also spokenp
byy 20 million Azerbaijanis
jresiding
g in the Islamic Republicpoff
Besides, Azerbaijani
Iran. Several millions of Azerbaijanis reside in Russia, USA, Turkey and Western Europe.
Regardless of their current country of residence, Azerbaijanis still can understand each othereasily. There are over 30 million speakers of Azerbaijani at present.
Genealogically, Azerbaijani language belongs to the Turkic group of languages and, together
with closely associated Turkish, Turkmen and Gagauz languages, forms the southwestern groupof Turkic languages.
languages

NATIONAL SYMBOLS
According to the Article 23.
23. The symbols of the Republic ofAzerbaijan:
I The national symbols of the Republic of Azerbaijan are the nationalI.
flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the national emblem of the Republicof Azerbaijan and the National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The National Flag

The National Emblem

NATIONAL LEADER
Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev was born on 10 May 1923 in the city ofNakhchivan of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan. Since 1941,
1941, Heydar Aliyev heads thedepartmentpat the PeoplepCommissariat off Internal Affairs
ff
off
Nakhchivan ASSR and on 1944 was sent to work at the state security
bodies.. Being elected at the Plenum of the Central Committee of thebodiesCommunist Party of Azerbaijan in July 1969 as the First Secretary of theCentral Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev
heads the Republic
Republic..In October 1987,
1987, Heydar Aliyev, as a sign of protest
against the policy pursued by Politburo of the Central Committee of theC
Communist
Party off theh Soviet
S
Union andd personallyll theh Secretary
S
General Michael Gorbachev, resigned from his post
post..
In June 1993,
1993, when the people of Azerbaijan believed that the national statehood was on theedge
d off fall,
f ll whenh there
h
b
began
the
h h
hardestd days,di iinsistentlyitil demandeddd d changehoff theh existing
i ipower, and since that time relied its destiny on Heydar Aliyev
Aliyev.. Heydar Aliyev, seeing misfortuneof his nation, accepted the invitation and returned to great politics in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan.. The people
mett ththe returnt
off Heydar
H d Ali
Aliyev with
ith a hopehandd joy,
j andd thisthi dayd wentt down
d
th hi
the
historyt
off theth
independent Azerbaijan as the Day of National Salvation.
Salvation. Historical destiny of Azerbaijan,
covering the period of over the thirty latest years, was inseparably linked with the name of
Heydar Aliyev.
Aliyev. Revival of the people during these years in all spheres of its socio
socio­­political,
political
economic and cultural life is connected just with his name.
name.

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS(A ti l 105,
(Article
105 laborl b coded off ththe R
Republic
bli off A
Azerbaijan)b ij )
Holidays of the Republic of Azerbaijan are the following:
New Year Holiday (January 1 and 2)

State Flag Day (November 9)

Women Day (March 8)

Day of Constitution (November 12)
12)

Day of Victory over fascism (May 9)

National Revival Day (November 17)
17)

Day of Republic (May 28)
28)

D off SSolidarityDay
lid i off W
Worldld
Azerbaijanis (December 31)
31)

National Salvation Day of Azerbaijani
peoplepp (June(15)
15)
Day of Armed Forces of the Republic ofAzerbaijan (June 26)
26)
D off SState Independence
Day
I d
d
(October
(O b
18)
18)

y
Novruz Holidayy – ffive days
Gurban Holiday – two days
Ramadan Holiday – two days

RELIGIONBACKGROUND

According to paragraphs 1‐3 of Article 18 of theConstitution the religion acts separately from thegovernment, eachh religion
li i isi equall before
b f
the
h law
l
and
d
the propaganda of religions, abating human personality
and contradicting to the principles of humanism isprohibited At the same time the state system ofprohibited.
education is also secular.
The peculiarities of the historical development of
Azerbaijan, its geographical position and the national
composition of the population created favorable
conditions for the spread of different religions in the
country. Such religions as heathenism, Zoroastrism,
Judaism, Christianity, Islam and others managed tospread over the country in different periods of time,interacted with one another and established the specificreligious life in the country.
country Azeri population wereconverted to Islam with by the early representatives ofthis religion in the 18th year of Muslim era (639).

RELIGION
IN PRESENTISLAM
ISLAM:: Approximately 93 % of the population are muslims.
Islam is represented by such trends as Shiizm, Sunnism andShafiism in Azerbaijan. The policy of openness recently
conducted in the country created conditions for the spread of anumber of other trends and Sufi sects in the regions of thecountry.

JUDAISM:JUDAISM: There are three communities of Jews‐Mountain
Jews Mountain Jews,
Jews
Ashkenazi Jews and Georgian Jews Azerbaijan. Nearly 16 000
Jews reside in the country.

CHRISTIANITY:: Christianity is represented by Orthodoxy,
CHRISTIANITY
Orthodoxy
Catholicism and Protestantism as well as a number of sectariancommunities in Azerbaijan. Five Armenian‐Gregorian
communities have been registeredgin the country.
y

ALBANIAN­
ALBANIAN­UDI CHURCH:
CHURCH: Though the number of people
belonging to the Albanian‐Udi Christian religious community
yet it's distinguishedgfor its nature,,differs from that of others ycontent, religious and political importance. To date of 6000 of 10000 people of Udi ethnic community live in Azerbaijan including
4400 people compactly residing in the Nich village of Gabaladi i
district.

Azerbaijan has great potential for the development of the tourism industry ‐ with such fascinating sights as
ancient cities, palaces, fortresses, mausoleums, and mosques. As is well known, 9 climate zones exist in
Azerbaijan, out of the 11 in the world.

Historical Monuments: There are more than 6 thousand historical architectural monuments on the
territory of Azerbaijan.. In Surakhani, there is a site of eternal flame. From ancient times, fire
worshippers from remote places, and even Indian priests, came to Absheron in search of fire, and found it
here.
e e. Theyey bubuiltt large
a ge tetemples
p es heree e in Su
Surakhania a aandd in Ateshgah.
tes ga .
Nature, Landscape, Seashores: The natural climatic conditions of Azerbaijan are unique. Azerbaijan
is endowed with picturesque natural landscapes, monuments of culture and modern tourist resorts.
The Khudat‐Yalama
Khudat Yalama seacoast,
seacoast bordered by forests,
forests and the seashores of Absheron and Lankaran are
fine places for recreation and relaxation. In these places, there are fine sandy beaches with steadywater temperatures of 22‐26 C for five or more months, which provide for a long swimming season.
Alpinism: The most attractive areas for Alpinism and winter sports are Shamakhi and Gusar.

Medical tourism: In Azerbaijan are a number of health resorts and spas,
creating an opportunity for treatment of many illnesses yielding to natural
therapies Most of the resorts with mineral spas also function as tourist centers.
therapies.
centers
Nakhchievan is especially rich in mineral sources; the only known deposit of
medicinal ppetroleum in the world ‐ Naftalan ‐ is completelypy unique.
q
Hunting: Many types of animals and birds are objects of licensed hunting, andin the reserves they are very easy to watch and photograph.
photograph In particular,
particular the
Gizilagach reserve, where in the winter months more than one millionpof birds of p
passageg ggather, is ideal for thisindividuals from two hundred species
purpose.

NAGORNO KARABAKH
ENCLAVE
The Nagorno‐Karabakh
Nagorno Karabakh region of the Republicof Azerbaijan is part of the geographical area
called Garabagh (Qarabağ). The name of thispart of the country consists of two Azerbaijani
words: “qara” (black) and “bağ” (garden). This
area covers the lands from the Araz River inthe south to the Kur River in the north, andfrom junction of the Kur and Araz Rivers in theeast to the eastern ranges of the Lesser
Caucasus in the west.
From ancient times up to the occupation by
Russians in the early 19th century, this region
was part of different Azerbaijani States.
StatesNAGORNO KARABAKH
CONFLICTIn 1988, towards the end of Soviet rule, Armenian secessionists began a
bloody war against Azerbaijan. As a result of aggression against theRepublic of Azerbaijan 20 percent of its territory, 890 towns and cities,
villages and settlements were occupied, 904,214 people became refugees,
20,000 people were killed, 50,000 people were wounded or became
invalids; according to initial calculations the caused damage constituted 60
billion USD. Despite a 1994 cease‐fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its
conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno‐Karabakh enclave. Occupied by the
local Armenian troops to this day,
day this conflict has not officially ended
Negotiations have so far failed to produce a permanent peace agreement.

GEOGRAPHYLANDSCAPEThe Republic of Azerbaijan is situated in the Alp‐Himalayan mountain belt. The
three mountain ranges are the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, and the Talysh
Mountains together covering approximately 40% of the country.
Mountains,country The highest
point in the country is on Mount Bazarduzu (4,485 m above sea level) situated in
the Greater Caucasus. Lowlands and plains make up the other 60% of the country.
The average height of the country is 657 m above sea level, however 18% of thecountry is below sea level The complexity of a landscape causes nonuniform
formation of climatic zones and creates vertical climate zones, etc.
Azerbaijan does not extend over a large geographical area, and muchof the differentiation of landscapes is due to the variation of altitude.
Landscapes are influenced by climate, soil, and habitats that changewith increasing altitude. Landscapes replace each other with height,
graduating from lowland plains, semi desert, steppe, forest, alpine
meadow to subnival communities at the greatest heights of themountains,i creating
i landscapel dzones at different
diffaltitudes.
li dCLIMATE
Taking into consideration distribution and features of regime of weather temperature andatmosphere precipitations, as well humidity circumstance in Azerbaijan Republic, 8 of 11
climate patterns of the Earth (according to V.V.Keppen)
V V Keppen) are determined here.
here Many of thesepatterns are divided into semi­types.
TEMPERATURE: The climate varies from subtropicalpand humid in the southeast to
subtropical and dry in central and eastern Azerbaijan. Along the shores of the Caspian Sea it
is temperate, while the higher mountain elevations are generally cold. Baku, on the Caspian,enjoys mild weather that averages 4 °C (39.2 °F) in January and 25 °C (77 °F) in July.
RAINFALL: Most of Azerbaijan receives little rainfall, only 152 to 254 millimeters (5.98 to
10.00 in) annually on average. As a result, agricultural areas require irrigation.
Approximatelypp
y 14,500,
km2 ((5,598,
sqq mi)) of the land is irrigated.
g
The g
greatest p
precipitationpfalls in the highest elevations of the Caucasus but also in the Länkäran Lowlands of theextreme southeast. The yearly average in these areas can exceed 1,000 millimeters (39.37
in).
The absolute temperature maximum (46C) and minimum (­32C) are registers on the plainsaround Araz in Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, characterized by its continental climate

FLORA
There are more than 4100 plant species in the territory of Azerbaijan. More than 200 ofthese plants are endemic.
endemic“Eldar Shami” pine tree can be found only in Azerbaijan and neighboring Georgia.
Caspian Lotus “Sanagullesi”
Sanagullesi which can be found in the delta of Kura River has unique
beauty.
“Tugai” forests that have grown after Kura, Araz and Alazan floods, protect the groundand are located in the coast of rivers,
rivers which have strong water flow and cross dry
plains.
These forests have rich reserves of oak, poplar, willow and hazel trees.
The foothills with the height from 600
600‐700
700 m to 1800 m are covered with forests thathave oak, hornbeam, beech, huge birch trees and also ash‐tree. These forests cover
more than 10% of the territory of Azerbaijan Republic. Highland forests have water‐
protective and soil‐protectiveppcharacteristics and have ggood hunting,g recreation andtourism potential.
Broad‐leaved highland forests of Talish‐Lankaran region are very important. Ancient
species of pink siris, heavy argan tree and immersed argan tree.

FAUNA
There are more than 12000 animal species in Azerbaijan
Republic. They consist of 92 species of mammals, 350
species of birds, 49 species of reptiles, 9 species ofamphibians, 88 species of fish and 10 species of
invertebrates.
invertebrates
There are several zoogeographical provinces in Azerbaijan
Republic and each of these provinces has specific animal
species‐fauna complex.

STRONG WINDS
Orographic features of the area enable west winds to become stronger
alongg Kura river basin and west coasts of the Caspianp
sea as well as east
winds in the territory of Nakhichevan AR. An increase tendency ofnumber of very strong windy days (more than 25 m/second) is observedin the republic within the last years according to statistic analyses
carried out. So that within 2002‐2008 maximum speed of wind in
territory of the republic reached to 38‐40 m/second in Baku andAbsheron cities,
cities Ganja‐Shamakhy‐Zardab‐Zagatala
Ganja Shamakhy Zardab Zagatala regions in August
2005, in March 2006 and February, March, August, September 2007.

WATER RESOURCES
Key water facilities related to hydrographic network ‐ rivers, lakes and water
reservoirs were allotted irregularly in different natural provinces of Azerbaijan
Republic Azerbaijan remains behind South Caucasus states subject to index of
Republic.
ground water resources per km2 of area and per capita of population. So that 62%
of total water reserve (310 bln. m3) of South Caucasus is shared by Georgia, 28%y Armenia and only
y 10% byy Azerbaijan.
jbyCountrywide water reservest t l tototal
t average 35 bln.
bl m3 thatth t
out of 5 bln. m3 areundergroundwater.
No
sufficient water reserve exists
in Azerbaijan in order to meetdemand of the population for
potable water and needs ofagriculture.

WATER RESOURCES
RIVERS: The main sources of water in Azerbaijan are the surface waters.
However, only 24 of the 8359 rivers are greater than 100 km in length.
Howeverlength Of them
8,188 rivers are less than 25 kilometers in length. All the rivers drain into the
Caspian in the east of the country, through three main river basins ‐ the Caspiany into the Caspian),p ), the Kura basin ((in western andBasin,, ((rivers drainingg directly
central Azerbaijan) and the Araz basin. The average density of river networks is0.39 km per km2, with most of the rivers occurring in the Kura basin. Artificial
rivers ((canals)) and p
ponds are a ppart of Azerbaijan's
jwater systemsy

UNDERGROUND WATERS: Underground waters constitute 24

million m3 in a day (8.8
(8 8 km3 in a year) being formed in foothills ofGreat and Little Caucasus and plain areas, Nakhichevan and Talish
ranges of the country. Presently, 5 million m3 or only 20% of
overall resources are used in a day. It shows possibility of widely
usability of underground water potential of the country in water
deficiency period.

MINERAL RESOURCES
In addition to the well‐known oil and gas deposits, Azerbaijan
has rich deposits of natural minerals that are useful inchemistry, metallurgy, construction building and health therapy.
These include ferrous and non‐ferrous ores,
ores rare and finemetals, semi‐precious stones, as well as a wide variety ofunderground sources of thermal, mineral and natural springwater. Here is an overview of the minerals that exist in
Azerbaijan and their current state of development.

TECHNOLOGICALHAZARDS
Azerbaijan has large‐scale oil and gas industry facilities in
Baku and its suburbs and heavy chemical industry, mainly
concentrated in the city of Sumgait. Moreover, 443 km of
the Baku‐Tbilisi‐Ceyhan pipeline run through Azerbaijan.
It has the capacity to export 1 million barrels of oil a day
and includes two pump stations in Azerbaijan. Anotherpotential technological hazard is the Metsamor nuclear
power plant, located in the seismic zone close to the
Armenian border.

NATURAL HAZARDSANDACASE STUDIESECOLOGICALHAZARDSThe followingTh
f ll i are theh principal
i i l ecologicall i l problems
bloff
Azerbaijan• The ppollution of water resources by
y way
y of introduction ofcontaminatedid water, iincluding
l di transnationalil pollution;ll i•The supply of low‐quality water to inhabited regions, the lossof fresh water prior to it delivery to the end consumers,
insufficient development of sewer systems;•Air pollution from industrial plants and transport vehicles;•Degradation of soil (erosion(erosion, desertification,desertification etc.);
etc )•Improper regulation of industry and housing, as well as
hazardous solid wastes;•Decline in biological diversity;•Decline in forest reserves and fauna, especially fish reserves

SEISMICITY
The territory of Azerbaijan which is included into the Alpine
folded systemyis characterized by
y a highg seismic activity.
y In
the territory fault zones with different direction create avery complex geological structure. Such heterogeneity of
distribution of seismicity is connected with a various level ofactivity of separate parts of fault zones.
The background level of seismic hazard in terms of intensity
is equal to 8 (MSK ‐ 64). High seismic hazard 9 (MSK ‐ 64) is
expected in a zone of the Great Caucasus which covers
territory from the city of Shamakhy up to border of Georgia
Georgia.
Other zones with the same potential danger are allocatedwithin the limits of Small Caucasus.

ACTIVE FAULTS IN THE TERRITORY OF AZERBAIJANSEISMIC ZONATION MAP OF AZERBAIJANSEISMICITYCASE STUDY

Azerbaijan saw devastating earthquakes
since the ancient times. The first reports
Epicenters map of earthquakes (M≥5,0)
on "anan overall devastating event that
happened in Azerbaijan territory in 427­1930. destroyed all towns and villages" is dated
back to 427 AD. In 1139 AD, a devastating
earthquake with the magnitude of IX took
place in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan The strongest
earthquakes mainly have been registeredin Shamakhi and Ganja regions. The
earthquake happened in Shamakhi in
1668 (M ≈ 7.0)
7 0) can beb considered
id d as oneof the strongest earthquakes happened in
the Caucasus up to now.
AccordingAdito historicalhi
i l information
i f
i
this
hi
earthquake resulted with landslides andmore than 80000 people died.
In Shamakhi regiongregisteredgseismic
shocks with intensity up to 8 according
MSK‐64 in 1828, 1859, 1869 and 1872
years. In this area the last catastrophic
earthquake (M = 6.9) happened in 1902.

SEISMICITYCASE STUDY

Another area where happened destructive
earthquakes is Ganja region. In this area
happened strong earthquakes in 427 (M ≈6.7;),) in 1139 ((M ≈ 6.8;),) in 1235 ((M ≈5 7 ) In5.7;).
I 1139,1139 nott ffar fromf
Ganja,
G j amassive earthquake occurred, as a resultof which eight of the most beautiful lakes
were created. One of them is the pearl of
Azerbaijan the amazing Goygol Lake.
Azerbaijan,
Lake A
Reserve of the same name is situated here.
The nature of the Reserve is rich in forest
beauty, blue lakes, charming bird songs
and the aroma of trees and flowers.
Göygöl Lake

SEISMICITYCASE STUDYOn November 25, 2000 two
consecutive quakes with themagnitudes
it d 6,5
6 5 andd 5,8
5 8 stroket k
the capital of Azerbaijan –Baku city. Intensity of thequakes in coastal regions ofApsheronpeninsulawasabout 6‐7. Some minor
damages were incurred tobuildings. No human loss was
registered as a primary resultof the earthquake.

MUD VOLCANOS
Mud volcanoes are pervasive within the Republic of Azerbaijan. There are over 220
mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan (Absheron Peninsula, Gobustan, southeast Shirvan
plain, Samur‐Davachi plain terrane, both Absheron and Baku Archipelago. Thebibiggestt are Galmas,
G lT
Toragay,
Bi KanizadagBig
K i d etc.
t MostM t off them
th
h
have
a cone shape.
hTheir height varies in the range from 20 to 400m, whereas base diameter may varyfrom 100 to 4500m.
Besides onshore mud volcanoes there are buried volcanoes and offshore mud
volcanoes. There are over 140 offshore mud volcanoes within the Caspian Sea. Eight
Islands within Baku archipelago were generate by mud volcanoes eruptions (Khara‐
Zira, Zanbil, Garasu, Gil, Sangi‐Mughan, Chigmil etc).
Mud volcanoes are one of the visible signs of the presence of oil
and gas reserves under the land and sea in the Caspian region.
Gas seeps are a related phenomenon. These occur when apocket of gas under the ground finds a passage to the surface.
surface

MUD VOLCANOSCASE STUDY

An impressive volcanic eruption
occurred in 2001 in Azerbaijan, butthere were no casualties or
evacuation warnings. The biggest
flames burned for about five minutes.
Th
Then
there
h
was anotherhhhuge
explosion, and then they calmed
down to about 10 or 20 metres (32 or
65 feet) high. The flames could easily
be seen from 15 kilometres away on
the dayy of the explosion,p, and werestill burning, although at a lower level,
three days later.

MUD VOLCANOSCASE STUDY

Shikhzayirli mud volcano erupted in
Gobustan region of Azerbaijan on March
13, 2011.Witnesses heard explosions
before the eruption, mud breccia erupted
and then fire blazed up in the territory of
the volcano.The fire had an altitude
above 50 m. Experts and rescuers of the
Ministry of Emergency Situationsi
immediately
di l arrived
i d at theh siteitoprevent any emergency situation. After
its activation decreased and mud flows
were seen in some bald peaks.
peaks Deep
grikes were created around the crater.
The mud volcano didn't threaten the
nearby villages.
villages

MUD VOLCANOS
photosFLOODS/LANDSLIDESHeavy showers on the territory of Azerbaijan Republic often lead to floods withdamages and human casualties.
casualties Moreover,Moreover hail fall is observed on the territory
during warm periods. They cause damage to agriculture. Hail diameters sometimes
are about 30–50 millimeters, which results in total destruction. About 1.2 million
hectares of land in Azerbaijan are vulnerable to floods, which can cause considerable
loss of life and property. A substantial part of central Azerbaijan could be flooded incase of damage to the Mingechevir water reservoir in the west.
Another major reason of occasional landslides in Azerbaijan
landslides in rural regions of Azerbaijan is semi‐nomadic animalhusbandry. As a result of increasing livestock in the country on thesemi‐nomadic principle,
principle the land is subjected to erosion,
erosion resulting inlandslides. Among others another noteworthy cause of landslides oil
and other wastes from the Soviet period.

FLOODS
CASE STUDYIn May 2010 unusually large
amounts of rain in Southern
Azerbaijan caused the Kura River torise to its highest level in over 100
years, burstingb
i damsdandd overflowing
fl i
onto
nearbyvillages.
This
unprecedented level of flooding hit
hardest in the Sabirabad, Imishli, Saatli
districts, which is near the confluenceof the Kura and Araz rivers. More than
24,000 people were affected with tensof thousands of homes flooded or
destroyed and 50,000
50 000 hectares offarmland inundated.

LANDSLIDESCASE STUDY

On 7 March 2000, a major landslide involving an area of 15 ha occurred in the Bayilzone of the Sabayil district, south of Baku city center. The landslide in the Bayil slope
destroyed dozens of shops, apartments and gas stations. After the incident, it was
decided to move roughly 300 families from this territory. The slope in later years also
experienced few minor landslides which led Baku City Administration to examine thearea and make a final decision on razing houses in this territory.
Analysis of the landslide mechanism and its causes revealed that it was a single
compound slide with one slip surface, which was triggered by intense rainfall during
October and November 1999 (more than the average annual precipitation occurred
within two months).
Due to the low permeability of the soil, the groundwater table wasslowly recharged; but the investigations after the disaster showedthat the crack openings in the landslide zone had allowed a significant
lowering of the water table. Some water leakage from utility lines
crossing the slide may also have had a detrimental preparatory effect.
effectDROUGHTS
Drought is a natural climatic feature of the region and occurs
time by time in specific periods. Azerbaijan has been severely
affected by the drought that has stricken many countries in Central
Asia, the Near East and parts of Europe during the spring 2000. An
FAO assessment mission carried out early January 2001 reported
significant losses of harvests, particularly of potatoes andvegetables. The most affected farmers were those cultivating plots
located at the tail end of irrigationgcanals. The fisheries sector has
also been severely affected by the low water levels in the rivers andreservoirs due to the drought. Several generations of fish have been
lost due to a disruption in breeding patterns.
patterns

FIRES
Deciduous/leaf bearing forests dominate mainly in Azerbaijan, therefore
forest fires are not specific for the republic.
republic But fires happened as a resultof anthropogenous impacts can cause to extinction of various species offlora and fauna. Majority of fires occur due to burning of fields after corn
reaping mainly in arid cycle.
cycle So that 7 forest fires happened in 2002
covered 46 ha area. But fire‐fanging of hay, then trees appears in spring‐summer seasons in Talish ranges. Six forest fires happened in 2007
coveredd 88.388 3 hah area, fourffforestfi
fires
i 2008 coveredind 25.325 3 hah area.

EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENTSYSTEM

Decree ofthe President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on
establishment of the Ministryy of Emergency
g y Situations of
the Republic of Azerbaijan“For the purpose of providing prevention of natural and manmade disasters and fires, elimination of their consequences,managementg
off activities off the relevant bodies responsiblepffor
rescue and rehabilitation works by one centralized system,
organization and realization of civil defense work in the country,
the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic ofAzerbaijan is established.”

Ilham ALIYEV
The president of the
Republic of Azerbaijan
Baku 16 December,
Baku,
December 2005

MAIN FUNCTIONS OF THE MES
Protection of population and territories from fires and disasters;Prevention of emergency situations and elimination of their consequences;
EEnsuringi off safety
f t rules
l in
i watert basins,
b i building
b ildi sites,
it industrial
i d t i l andd mining
i ienterprises and safe movement of small ships in state waters
Establishment and proper management of the State Resource Fund;Organization of protection of strategic objects exposed to natural, man-made andterror threats, neutralization of radioactive wastes;Organizationgof quickq
responsepto emergency
g y situations and managementgofhumanitarian aids;
Organization of management rescue-searching and first aid, aviation and othertransport life-saving
life saving operations in case of emergency
Organization of awareness-raising activities among population regarding life
safety rules and measures, methodical guidance over respective work done in thisfield by state bodies and public organizations etc.
etc

CRISIS MANAGEMENTCENTER
Crisis Management Center is the executive body of the Ministry of
Emergency Situations which controls over operative and effective
management and coordination of the forces and facilities of the
Ministryduring accident­rescue operations,in emergency prevention, response and rehabilitation activities,
compilation, classification, analysis of information received via “112” hot­line
and other assistant stations of the Ministry, relevant executive authorities aswell as other sources,making relevant decisions with regard to them and ensuring duly
implementation of the decisions.

THANK YOU !

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